


A Gentle Someone

by merewiowing



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Dress Up, Family Fluff, Gen, Nagamas, Sibling Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 14:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5747557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merewiowing/pseuds/merewiowing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On her smaller frame, the shawl looked more like a cape, or one of the draped cloaks she saw Plegian diplomats and nobles from the west of Ylisse wear. Experimentally, she struck a few poses she saw on old paintings. One end of the shawl slipped off her shoulder and to the floor, but it didn’t matter – posing like that, dressed up like an adult, Lissa felt mature and more regal than ever before. She only needed a suitable crown.</p><p>--</p><p>Lissa sneaks into one of Emmeryn's rooms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Gentle Someone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mikotsu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikotsu/gifts).



Lissa had only been in Emm’s wardrobe twice before.

The first time was a coincidence. She had gotten lost and wandered the corridors, crying and checking rooms one by one. That time, she only glanced inside for a moment, and closed the door as soon as she saw no-one was there. So, she reasoned, that time didn’t really count.

The second time, Emm took her there after Lissa had said she liked a tiara her sister was wearing. Emm laughed, and as soon as she finished her responsibilities, led Lissa to the chamber and allowed her to try on not only the tiara, but many other accessories – necklaces, brooches and many jewels Lissa hadn’t even known that her sister owned.

Even though over a year has passed since that day, the memory of it still dazzled Lissa a little. She wanted to return to that room and see more jewels, not to mention the clothes. As much as Lissa liked her dresses, everything Emm wore seemed so much prettier – softer, shinier, without any tricky buttons. The problem was that she just couldn’t work up the courage to ask Emm if she could come with her again. In the end, Lissa decided to go alone, but that was much easier said than done. Like many things belonging to her older siblings, the wardrobe felt almost magical – and more than a little out of her reach. 

Today, however, was the day Lissa had finally decided to be brave (and sneaky). After her midday meal, she slipped out of her bedroom, and tiptoed through the castle. Now, only a short distance separated her and the door to the wardrobe. Still, she had to wait and see if anyone was inside, so for now, she watched from behind a corner and tried to be patient.

Eventually, she heard the door give a soft creak and, soon after, she saw two servants leave the room. One of them appeared to look in her direction, so Lissa quickly hid herself and held her breath. After an eternity or two, she dared to sneak a peek again. The corridor was empty.

She walked to the door, careful to make her steps as quiet as possible, and tried the handle. It gave easily, and the door opened, with the same creak as before. Lissa parted it just enough to squeeze through and closed it as soon as she was inside the wardrobe.

She slumped to the floor, head buzzing with excitement. As she regained her breath, she looked around. She had no good idea of what the chamber itself looked like – on her previous visit she was busy with other things – but now she hungrily took it all in. The plush carpet, the westward windows that let in warm afternoon light, the cream-coloured, patterned wallpaper, the giant standing mirror in one of the corners.

All those things were beautiful in their own right, but they weren’t what Lissa had come here for – that was the many chests and drawers along the walls. She walked to the nearest one and, not without some trouble, lifted the lid. Inside, she found piles of neatly folded shawls, mantlets, and what seemed like many similar things Lissa didn’t know the name of. For the time being, she decided they were all scarves.

Though at first she only wanted to look at, not touch, Emm’s clothes, actually seeing them made her change her mind in a flash. She reached inside the chest and picked up the topmost shawl. She unfolded a part of it, stretching the fabric between her fingers. It was a dark green, embroidered with a golden thread – as best as she could tell, it depicted various plants and birds. She would have loved to have one like this when she was older.

For now, though, this one was Emm’s, not hers. With a small sigh, Lissa attempted to fold the cloth back, as neatly as she could, so no one would notice it was ever out of the chest. As she bent to put it down, something occurred to her. The huge mirror! She could see the shawl on her, and maybe pretend, for a little while, that it was hers.

She grabbed the scarf, forgetting about making it seem neat, and unfolded it fully as she walked up to the mirror. It was much longer and wider than she had guessed – made for an adult, and _definitely_ too big for her. Possibly a little too big for Emm, too. Undeterred, Lissa wrapped it around herself.

On her smaller frame, it looked more like a cape, or one of the draped cloaks she saw Plegian diplomats and nobles from the west of Ylisse wear. Experimentally, she struck a few poses she saw on old paintings. One end of the shawl slipped off her shoulder and to the floor, but it didn’t matter – posing like that, dressed up like an adult, Lissa felt mature and more regal than ever before. She only needed a suitable crown.

As she looked around the room, wondering where Emm’s tiaras and diadems were kept, she heard the door creak again. Startled, she tried to turn around, but instead slipped on the shawl and fell with a small yelp.

The thick carpet cushioned her fall, but Lissa was much more concerned with whoever opened the door. She looked up, expecting to see Emm, or one of the servants. Instead, she saw the door was only slightly ajar, and that her brother was looking straight at her. Chrom withdrew his head, possibly to look around the corridor, and then stepped inside.

“What’re you doing in here, Lissa?”

It wasn’t anything of his business, and Lissa puffed out her cheeks.

“’m just looking around! What are _you_ doing here?”

“The door was open, so I thought Emm would be here.” He shrugged. “What’s that thing you’re all tangled up in?”

Lissa had completely forgotten the shawl. With some trouble, she stood up, and picked it up from the floor. It didn’t seem to have been torn anywhere – the fabric was stronger than she thought it would be.

“I dunno. I just took it out of a chest and I wanted to see what I look like.” She looked up at her brother. “Are you gonna tell Emm I was here?”

Chrom took the shawl from her and raised it up to his face, squinting a bit at the embroidery.

“Nope. I mean, it’s not like we’re forbidden from being in here.” He said it with a certainty that surprised Lissa. She felt a little jealous – that he hadn’t hesitated before entering, that he was sure he could be here.

Chrom, evidently bored with the shawl, bundled it up and put it back inside the chest. Lissa was expecting him to say she should stop playing here, but instead, after some rummaging, he pulled out a different scarf – something light yellow, delicate-looking and a little see-through.

“I think this would suit you better,” he said. Before Lissa shook off her surprise and thought of what to say next, Chrom walked over next to her, eyed her up and down, and gently put the scarf over her…

… Head.

“Chrom!” Lissa whined, and her brother laughed. The fabric covered her eyes, and turned out not to be quite as see-through as she had expected. Pouting, she pulled it down to her neck and shoulders, then reluctantly approached the mirror.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Chrom was right – the scarf was still much too large for her, but since it was thinner and lighter, she didn’t feel as dwarfed by it as by the green shawl. She turned around to Chrom and clapped her hands excitedly.

“Didn’t you trust your brother?” He smiled, satisfied with his work. Then, as if after some consideration, he started laughing again.

“ _What?_ ”

“With that thing on your head,” Chrom gestured to Lissa’s lacy hairband, “you look kind of like a lemon cake with cream.”

Saying that out loud made him laugh again, and he didn’t stop when Lissa pouted at him, nor when she ran up and pushed him over. He fell down on his back, took a deep, slightly shaky breath, and after looking up at Lissa he giggled again.

“You’re awful,” she complained, and kicked his foot.

“What’s so bad about lemon cakes? I thought you liked them,” Chrom asked, sitting up.

“That doesn’t mean I wanna _be_ one.” She puffed out her cheeks again. “And you don’t know anything about fashion! _Emm_ would say I look lovely.”

“You do look lovely, Lissa,” said an unexpected voice. Lissa and Chrom both turned to look in the direction it came from.

Emm was leaning against the door with an amused smile on her face. Seeing her, Chrom scrambled up to stand, and Lissa started unwrapping the scarf as quickly as she could.

“Sister, we just—“ He began, but stopped when Emm walked over and stroked his hair.

“You don’t have to explain yourselves.” The way Emm smiled always calmed Lissa down. She tugged at her sister’s sleeve.

“You’re not mad at us?”

“Why would I be, love?” Emm knelt down, and took the yellow scarf in her hands. She untangled the mess Lissa made of it, and then started wrapping it back around her sister’s neck.

“I dunno, but I thought you’d be. I didn’t ask if I could come here, so…” Lissa trailed off. Chrom’s confidence hadn’t quite rubbed off on her just yet.

Emm finished fixing up the scarf, added a knot, and moved her hand up to stroke Lissa’s cheek.

“You don’t have to as my permission to go anywhere, Lissa. Or you, Chrom.” She shifted from kneeling to sitting and gently pulled Lissa into her lap.

“Anywhere?” Chrom raised his eyebrows a little.

“Anywhere. Except maybe the smithy, or other dangerous places. But this isn’t one of them.”

With Emm’s arms wrapped around her in a hug, Lissa finally relaxed.

“Emm, could I try on a tiara again?” She tried not to make her voice sound too eager, but she also didn’t want to pass this chance up.

Emm pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Of course, love. But first you need to get up so I can find you one.”

Lissa slid off her sister’s lap and watched as Emm stood up and reached for one of the top drawers of a nearby cupboard. It was definitely too high up for Lissa to reach on her own. Maybe next time she came here, she would bring a stool…

“Do you want to stick around, Chrom?” Emm asked as opened another drawer.

“Sure. Maybe you’ll find something that doesn’t make Lissa look like a different kind of cake.”

**Author's Note:**

> happy nagamas, para!! i'm so so so sorry you had to wait so long :( i hope you enjoyed this all the same!
> 
> incindentally, the terminology for places/furniture for storing clothes is incredibly confusing.


End file.
